as seen on coco + kelley!!! it was SUCH an honor to be featured on a design blog, and one of my favorites no less! it means the WORLD when other creative people, not just those in the wedding industry, can be inspired by my work! to read the feature click here...

it was also featured on a really cool blog i now officially love...lots of fun finds at high street market! to read the feature click here...

another design-inspired blog called my modern met picked up the tablescape...to read the feature click here...

the adorable jen from green wedding shoes blogged it as well...jen has been such a great support to me this past year and i cannot thank her enough for always believing in my work! to read the feature click here...

and this last one was a first for me! i had never been on 100 layer cake before so it was a treat to have them blog about it...to read the feature click here...

thanks again everyone for the support!!! i can't wait to show the next couple of tablescapes i designed for bride and bloom's soon to be released issue!!!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

the past month and a half has been such a whirlwind of weddings, new clients, prototypes and bids i have barely had time to keep up with all the blog love JL DESIGNS has been getting...this does not mean we don't notice or don't appreciate!

we are beyond thrilled at all the features we have been getting and are a bit overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for what we are doing. so THANK YOU to those who have taken the time to showcase our work! even though we have been around since 2004, it is SO exciting to see the growth we have made this last year, mostly due to the rise of blogging, twitter, etc.

we know we are good at what we do :) but there is SO MUCH talent out there and to be blogged about so much over the past 2 months blows us away! really...we are blown away...so again, THANK YOU to this list of blogs and here's to the remainder of 2009 bringing much more chic, fresh eye candy from JL DESIGNS!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

here we go again! tablescape #2 from my photo shoot with jasmine star and sweet and saucy!! this tablescape was featured last week on the amazing blog, snippet + ink...THANK YOU kathryn for the feature! we are so honored over here! :)

for this one i went with a french farmhouse theme...i would like to say i was traveling in provence and bought some eclectic finds and was inspired to create this shoot...but to be honest i just went to homegoods and found so many cute things i decided to design an entire table around them! glamorous yes? :)

throwing a couple strategically placed pillows into the mix always adds a splash of character to the scene...

the cake....ooooohhhh the cake...one of my favorite cakes ever! that lace detail is just so beautiful and i love how there is just one white sugar flower to accent...it just goes to show, cakes don't need to be dripping in fresh floral to make an impact...melody really hit it out of the park when she designed this one!

the light jasmine captured in these photos is insane...so fresh, airy and carefree...just as i imagine the french countryside...

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

when the ultra talented jasmine star and i decided to do a photo shoot and stage a couple of tablescapes, i headed downtown to the flower mart, somewhat knowing what i wanted to do and also still open to inspiration...

and then i saw it...

a huge chunk of living moss that stretched about 4 feet long! it was bumpy and irregular and imperfect...and i was in love...

i knew i had to have it! the vendor told me it came directly off of a tree in oregon and i told her i had never seen anything like it in my entire wedding industry career...$35. later i was one happy woman! what a steal!

so this first tablescape 100% revolved around my new "moss runner"...

the little pieces of fern you see were actually growing right out of the moss naturally so i left them intact and bought some extra fern stems of my own to add to each apothecary jar...

a petite succulent head accented the corner of each plate and peeking out from the bottom was a simple rectangular folded "russian linen" napkin from wildflower...

inside each apothecary jar i placed a bit of moss, a couple fern stems and 1 huge succulent head...

dotting the landscape were some dried fungi caps to add a northwest, woodland feel...

check out those fern stems! so lush, so organic and so natural...i loved it...

we also added in some amber glass votives for a pop of warmth and color...

the key was to get a mixture of heights, textures, shapes and sizes - whether in the jars, the candles, the moss or the fern...the variety draws the eye all over and makes it visually appealing to look at, even though the concept is pretty simple...

and talk about appealing...helloooo, sweet and saucy shop!!! melody created a little "cake buffet" rather than 1 large cake - love this!

she accented each cake with a different type of green flower - but i love that she chose florals with a bit of a "plant-like" look so they weren't too girly...

overall, it was a strong, masculine look...and would actually be quite easy to replicate for a DIY bride...here is what you would need:

3-5 glass apothecary jars (tj maxx or homegoods)

clear glass votives candles (ikea or michaels)

1-2 bags of moss and 5 dried fungi caps (michaels)

1 potted fern plant (clip off single stems) and 5-7 succulents of different varieties (home depot or target)